Walter s



W. S. ROCKWELL.

FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-5,1916.

Patented Aug. 8,1916.

i w as WA TER s. ROCKWELL,

the heated gases repeatedly WELL,

OF NEW YORK, N.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO W. S. ROCKWELL COMPANY,

YL, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

Application filed January 5, 1916. Serial No. 70,330.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER S. Roona citizen of the United States, residing at 300 West One Hundredand Sixth street, New York, .county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces,

' fully described and represented in the following speclfication and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

The object of the present invention is to furnish a particular means of circulating through the heating-chamber of the furnace so as to. secure a most complete mixture of the previously heated gases with the newly ignited gases, and a complete combustion of'all the gases before they are discharged from the heating-chamber. In the present invention this means consists of a fluid fuel-inlet through which burning fuel is projected into the heating-chamber at a high velocity, and the said inlet is utilized as an injector to draw some of the previously-heated gases from the heating-chamber and mingle them thoroughly with the newly ignited gases in said inlet, so that when discharged again into the heating-chamber the previously heated gases may undergo another combustion and impart to the chamber as much as possible of the heat which they contained. The newly ignited gases are, in the resent invention, preferably discharged rom a burner-inlet into one end ofa heating-chamber, and a portion of the previously heated gases is drawn from the o posite end of the heating-chamber by a suitable port into a return-passage which is connected by a duct with the said inlet. By this construction, the blast through the inlet draws the heated gases from one end of the heating-chamber and discharges them again into the other end, so as to give them a complete circulation through the body of the heating-chamber and thus eifect a most complete combustion.

The regulation or varying of the temperature in various parts of the chamber is effected by a counter-blast of. air projected through the wall of the chamber at a suitable point to retard the movement of burning gases in the chamber or to deflect them downwardly toward the hearth.

. Two constructions illustrating the operation of the invention are shown in the annexed drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan of the furnace provlded w1th the improvement and showing the return-passage as a sub-chamber under the heating-chamber floor. Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 22 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section at the center line ofFig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the furnace. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a longitudinal section like Fig. 3 with the return-passage constructed in the sidewalls of the furnace; and Fig. 6 is a sectlonal plan of the furnace taken on line 6-6 in Fig. 5. y

In Figs. 1 to 4, the heating-chamber a is shown with an open doorway b at its front end, and in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is shown a burner-opening c forming an inlet for the fluid fuel into the upper part of the heatingchamber at its rear end.

A burner 01 discharges'a blast of mixed air and fuel into the inlet and heating-chamber, the air being supplied by pipe 6 and the gas or fluid fuel by pipe e The class of fuel and the means usedto deliver the fuel-gases into the heatingchamber may obviously be varied, and fluid or other gaseous or used with thesame e ect provided it is propelled throughthe fluid-fuel-inlet at a suitable velocity to produce an injector eflect.

The class of fuel is obviously lmmaterial, as it is the blast by which It is propelled which produces the injector effect.

In Figs. 1 to 4, a sub-chamber f is shown beneath the floor a of theheating-chamber to serve as the return-passage for the heated gases drawn from the heating-chamber, and

ports h are shown in the opposite side-walls of the heating-chamber near the doorway b owdered fuel may be tively thin floor a between the two, so that the circulatlon through the sub-chamber highly heats the floor of the heating chamber.

lVhere the return-passage is located beneath the floor of the heating-chamber it -insures a thoroughly hot hearth and the efficient heating of material thereon, .but where heavy forgings or articles requiring welding heat are to be heated upon the. hearth such a sub-chamber cannot be advantageously used; and in such case the circulation through the heating-chamber may be obtained by locatinga return-passage in the side-wallof the chamber, as shown in Fig. 5, where the return-passage is designated f and its rear end connected by passage i and duct 9' with the combustion-chamber 0. Such a return-passage can be located at each'side of the heating-chamber, as in .Fig. 6, and connected upon each side with the interior of the heating-chamber by a port 72/, with passages 71 and duct j, to the inlet c; and operates to circulate and equalize the heated gases through the heatingchamher, as already described.

The means for regulating the temperature in different parts of the chamber consists of a so-called counter-blast, which comprises an inlet m delivering a jet of air through "either the side-wall or. the top-wall of the chamber (as shown in Fig. 3) against the burning gases entering from the com, bustion-chamber c. It is common in many such heating-furnaces to operate with the doorway I) normally open, such doorway furnace embodying this invention may be serving as the outlet for the waste gases, and the combustible gases may in such case be introduced into the opposite or rear end of the chamber, as shown herein.

Where the burning vgases enter the rear end of the chamber with some velocity, their heat if unchecked tends to concentrate at the front or opposite end of the chamber,

so that the rear end is insufficiently heated;

then the counter-blast may be operated to retard the forward movement of the burning gases so that the rear end of the fur nace'may be equally heated, and such blast may also operate to gently deflect the burning gases downward upon the-floor of the heating-chamber to efiiciently heat the charge thereon. The degree to which the burning gases are retarded or deflected in their forward movement is regulated by an air-valve n in the pipe 1:. supplying the counter-blast. v

The invention is obviously independent of the type of furnace and kind of fuel used, and by suitable arrangement of a firebox the OPGIfltBdfWlill'hSOllCl fuel and fdrced blast, instead of fluid fuel propelled by' 'burners.

The invention is primarily adapted to that class of furnace in which tl1e"heat enters above the floor of the heating-chamber, but it may be adapted to furnaces otherwise heated, as the most essential feature of thethe heat in the most effective manner, and

to regulate its distribution in different parts of the heating-chamber.

The usual cock Z is shown in the fuel-supply pipe e' by which the consumption of fuel is regulated.

By suitable arrangements, the fuel-gases from the burning of oil, gas, coal, coke or other fuel may be forced into the heatingchamber at a high velocity through a suit.- able inlet, so as to operate in such inlet, as an eflicient injector; and the heated gases may thus be drawn from the heating-chamber and mingledwith the fuel-gases passing through such inlet, whatever class of fuel be used.

It will be noticed that the burner in all cases carries a combustible mixture, so that combustion may be commenced before the mixture enters the heating-chamber; and

the spent gases mingled with such burning combustible mixture are highly heated before they are discharged into the heatingchamber and do not thus retard the combustion therein. The air supplied to the burner may obviously be regulated to furnish oxygen forthe combustion of any unconsumed carbon in the spent gases. The waste gases. may be finally discharged from the heating-chamber through the doorway or any other suitable outlet.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what is claimed herein is: a

1. A furnace for heating, annealing, &c., having a heating-chamber with a fluid fuel inlet opening thereinto, a sub-chamber beneaththe floor of the heating-chamber, means for drawing heated gases from the heating-chamber through such sub-chamher into thesaid inlet and discharging them into the heating chamber with the burning gases, and a counter-blast projected into the heating-chamber to vary the movement of the heated gases therein.

2. A furnace for heating, annealing, &c., having a heating-chamber, a fluidfuel burner-inlet, a subchamber under the floor of the heating-chamber with a port connecting it thereto and a duct connecting the subchamber with the said burner-inlet, whereby heated gases are circulated through the heating-chamber, and a counter-blast pro jected into the heating-chamber to vary the movement of the heated gases therein.

3. A furnace for heating, annealing, &c., having a fluid fuel burnernlet opening into the rear end of the heating-chamber, aburner projecting fuel gases through the burnerin let into such end of the heating cham-j ber, and a counter-blast projected downward through the roof of the chamber and o erating to retard the burning gases disch rged from the burner-inlet and to thus regulate the temperature at different parts of the heating-chamber.

4. A furnace-for heating, annealing, &c.,

- having a heating-chamber with a fluid-fuel burner-inlet opening thereinto, a return-passage with a port connecting one end of it to the heating chamber, a duct connecting its opposite end to the burner-inlet, the whole operating to cause the circulation of gases through the heating-chamber, and a counter-blast directed through the wall of the chamber toward the gases entering from the burner-inlet to retard and deflect such gases,

substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

5. A furnace ,for heating annealing, &c.,

having a heating chamber, a uid-fuel burnerinlet communicating therewith, a burner with means for supplying fluid-fuel and air to the burner, means for drawing heat= ed gases from the heating-chamber through the burner-in1et and discharging them again into the heating-chamber, a counter-airblast projected into the heating-chamber to vary the movement of the heated gases therein, and means for independently regulating the air-supply to such counter-airblast and to the burner.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. v WALTER S. ROCKWELL. 

